RAGLAN CASTLE | A Prime Example of Medieval GLORY in SOUTH WALES

Hey everyone and welcome back to the channel. In this week's video we ventured back into south east Wales, in the county of Monmouthshire here at Raglan Castle. With its great multi-angular towers and Tudor styling, it is unlike any other stronghold in Wales. It soaks up the atmosphere with its grandeur and is extremely unique yet picturesque and mighty. As a tourist visiting here it's exactly what you vision when you think of an extravagant and wealthy castle. But as an enemy, an attacker from the 1500s, you would have to be pretty overconfident to even attempt to storm this intimidating fortress. So why not join us as we walk the remains of Raglan Castle and we'll tell you a bit more about how this once mighty castle turned to enchanting ruins that you see today. Stepping inside and underneath the huge gatehouse range, you can see how impressive this entrance is and it dawns on you why this area is the most photographed here at Raglan and that's certainly because of those hexagonal towers and pointy battlements that have a storybook quality look about them. But aside from the finish and the look of the gatehouse, the defences are very impenetrable. To try and even attempt to get inside you would have to pass through a portcullis and then a two-leaved timber door, a second portcullis and then finally two more double doors. These features were more than likely to demonstrate strength than to be used in battle. The gatehouse was also defended by machicolations on the battlements where suitable objects could be dropped onto besieging enemies or for water to be poured down on any fires that could be lit against the gates. But on the other hand they added a sense of grandeur to the whole castle and it could have just been their main purpose. Raglan Castle is one of the last true castles to be built in Wales. Its construction began in the 1430s by Sir William App Thomas, the Blue Knight of Gwent, who fought at the Battle of Agincourt with King Henry V in 1415. He was responsible for building the Great Tower at Raglan, known as the Yellow Tower of Gwent. After William App Thomas died in 1445, the castle passed on to his son William who took the surname Herbert. The main stone used in construction of the castle is sandstone but of two different types. The 15th century castle is characterised by pale, almost yellowish sandstone from Redbrook on the Wye River, three miles away. The other sandstone is local old red sandstone, a red, brown or purplish in colour, used in the Tudor work. Despite Tudor and Jacobin rebuilding, the Raglan Castle we see today is largely the work of one hugely ambitious man, Sir William Herbert. In less than 10 years this country squire turned himself into arguably the most powerful Welshman of the age. He began his dazzling career fighting in France, where he was captured and ransomed, and he was knighted in 1452. Having grown rich by importing Gascony wine, Herbert was made Sheriff of Glamorgan and the Constable of Usk Castle. He played a crucial role in a decisive defeat of Lancastrian forces during the Wars of Roses in 1461. The grateful new King Edward VI rewarded Herbert by making him Chief Justice and Chamberlain of South Wales and grandly styling him Baron Herbert of Raglan. Underlying this meteoric rise, young Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VIII, was sent to Sir William to be brought up here at Raglan Castle. Great men needed great houses, so Herbert continued in his father's work here at Raglan but on an epic scale, creating a magnificent new gatehouse and two great courts of sumptuous apartments. Now he could finally dispense hospitality with the best. Herbert's final accolade was the most remarkable of all. In 1468 he was created the Earl of Pembroke as a reward for his capture of Castel Harlech, the last Lancastrian stronghold in England and Wales. It made him the first member of the Welsh gentry to enter the ranks of English peerage. This prestige didn't actually last for very long. Herbert was actually defeated and captured in the 1469 and brutally beheaded the very next day. The reported death of 5,000 men, mostly Welshmen, in his army makes it one of Wales's greatest losses in battle. The body of the ambitious Earl was brought back to South East Wales and buried in the Cistercian Abbey Church at Tinton. It was left to the Somersets, the Earls of Worcester, to usher in the glories of the Tudor age here at Raglan. During the time of William Somerset, the third Earl of Worcester, the castle entered its last primary construction phase. Additions of this included a new hammer beam roof to the hall and a long gallery on the second floor that overlooked the fountain court. Looking at the great tower today, what you'll see is more or less four stories high of a grand circular tower which is surrounded by a murky green shield-shaped moat. Today, one entire side of the tower is destroyed, giving you an indication of the layers of rooms and the chambers that were once held inside. Either way, the tower demonstrates everything that was needed inside a medieval fortification. A self-contained assembly of living rooms, a kitchen with hospitality quarters, wrapped up in a protective apron wall and moat, and studded with arrow loops for defence. Evidently, the more modern segments of Raglan Castle mushroomed around the great tower, but the tower's strength and purpose remained intact throughout its entire existence. Successive owners such as Sir William Herbert could effectively move into the castle and pull up the drawbridge if they just wanted peace and quiet. The sheer height of the tower in its heyday measured around five stories high, which granted Raglan a touch of prestige and a defensive advantage. The tower could be seen across vast swathes of the Welsh countryside and today, as you can see, the views are still just as jaw-dropping, especially on a day like we visited. During the English Civil War in 1646, Raglan Castle was besieged by parliamentarian forces led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. The castle was surrounded and mortar batteries were dug into place. Henry Somerset, who attempted to defend the castle, knew that his efforts were futile and surrendered to Fairfax. As a result of the siege, the castle was heavily damaged and they had to begin a period of repair. The downfall of the great tower came during the English Civil War. The tower was bombarded extensively from one side and then when Raglan fell to the parliamentarians, the forces attempted to destroy it to prevent future royalist use. Workers managed to hack off the upper layers with pickaxes, but the tower was stronger than that and so they ended up entirely undermining the foundations, leading to the collapse that you see today. During 1460 to 1470, the castle became reborn as a noble castle mansion. As well as the gatehouse, Sir William Herbert added the main features of the castle, including elements of the large cobble court behind the main gatehouse and the incredible fountain court to its left, which we are in now. Whereas the cobble court was the focus for everyday domestic life, being home to the kitchen and the buttery, the fountain court here acted as the centre for prestige and entertainment. Home to the state apartments, the chapel and the later library, these were built around this focus of privileged life. This open area took its name from a once pleasant marble fountain in the middle of the court, complete with a white horse statue and running water. Only fragments remain in the middle. From the fountain court you can approach the grand porch and the grand stair. It is quite regal looking. On either side you get the chance to visit and walk the rooms, which were once ground floor chambers, and if you look around you can see the various fireplaces, the ornate windows and once spiral staircases that would have been used to visit the first floor rooms. The hall is the finest and most complete of all of the castle's surviving apartments, and in its present form it dates from around the 16th century, although incorporating parts of the earlier hall of Sir William App Thomas still show. This is shown by the two blocked windows in the southwest wall. If the foundations of Grandeur were laid in the 1460s, the flourishing touches were added in the 1500s onwards. Straight above us you can spot the weathered plaque that bears the arms of the third Earl of Worcester as a Knight of the Garter, and although it requires a little bit of imagination, the Tudor aureole window would have been one of the most majestic features of the castle, a grand stained glass masterpiece allowing dappled light to flood into the newly built hall. From the great hall you can walk through the two doorways, one on either side, and this is exactly what the servants would have done using these passageways to be able to serve and service their lord and ladies. Both the pantry and buttery were also two stories tall. The walkway that we walk upon was the service passage that led from the kitchen tower into the hall. This ground floor room was home to the buttery. From inside this room, ale and beer would be dispensed to the household, as well as wine which was more than likely reserved for the Lord of Raglan, his family and his special guests. The two upper stories would have been allocated to upper chambers, and it's thought that these rooms would have housed the important household staff who would have required access to any of the rooms that were occupied by the Somersets. Now ruinous, you can still see the spiral staircase that pieced together these rooms. Just outside of the buttery and the service corridor, you can see the pantry, but only foundations survive of this room, but you can still make out the windows and the outlines of the floors and staircase. The pantry was a room where the allocation of bread, salt and other pantry items would be accessed and given out, and it was a handy distance to the kitchen tower, which we're about to walk into. Built in the second half of the 15th century, it was the kitchen tower. Apart from its defensive function, it contained rooms for more servants on the first floor, a huge kitchen and a room for preparing meals on the ground floor, with access to a cool pantry in the basement for storing meats and cheeses. The entrance to the kitchen itself is on the ground floor, and access is by way of a wide arch and a triangular vestibule, originally lit by two narrow windows. The kitchen is dominated by two large fireplaces, each with an oven. On the first floor above, the outer room has an ornate fireplace that was set into a pair of windows, with seats in the embrasures. Clearly a chamber for a person of value in the household. What I really love about visiting here is how lost in the moment that you can get. It's so fun walking these cobbled parts wondering just what it would have been like, or you can just admire the beauty of the construction of these really impressive buildings. If you're ever venturing into South Wales, this should be top of your list to stop at, even for a flying visit. Entrance fees into the site are extremely reasonable, at £9.50 for an adult at the time of filming, but if you are a Caddo member or English Heritage member, your visit here will be completely free. There really is so much to see and do, and most importantly enjoy. If you're on a castle crusade, then team it up with some of the other many castles in the area, such as Cardiff Castle, Caldecott, White Castle, Sken Frith or Grosmont. We truly hope we've given you some inspiration to a visit here today, or as part of a trip into South Wales. If you enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up by clicking that like button, and consider pressing that subscribe button for more content. We have ways of supporting the channel, please head over and have a look at our Patreon or our channel members option here on YouTube. Your support really does mean the world to us. We want to say a big thank you to our Patreons and our channel members, and also to everyone for watching, so we'll see you in the next one. Till next time!